Water Operations

Water Plant Overview

The water plant is designed to treat 9 million gallons of water per day with the capability to be expanded to 18 million gallons of water per day on the present site. The water plant serves part of 7 townships in Ottawa County; Danbury, Catawba Island, Erie, Salem, Portage, Harris, and Bay, as well as the City of Port Clinton and the Village of Oak Harbor.

Plant Cost

The plant and transmission lines cost approximately $23 million and were financed through special assessments; water revenues from Port Clinton, Oak Harbor, and Ottawa County; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Rural Development; Ohio Water Development Authority; Ohio Public Works Commission; Community Development Block Grants, and the Ohio Water and Sewer Rotary Commission.

Treatment Process

The treatment process is designed to treat surface water using solids contact type clarifiers and cluster type rapid sand filters. Pretreatment includes the capability of feeding sodium permanganate and powdered activated carbon.

In order to maximize system reliability, the plant has been equipped with a state of the art supervisory control and data computer system which displays all of the plant variables on a central monitor and provides alarm and data logging capabilities

A radio telemetry system provides data communications between the elevated tanks, raw water pump station and the water plant. Monitoring of turbidity, particle counting and chlorine residual has been provided to enhance compliance with present and future water regulations.

Water Plant Components

  • Chemical feed equipment- includes caustic soda, aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH), phosphate, powdered activated carbon, chlorine, sodium permanganate, fluoride and polymer
  • Diesel driven stand-by power generator capable of operating the entire plant
  • Eight 18 feet by 20 feet cluster type dual media sand filters
  • Four pretreatment basins
  • Three 73 foot diameter upflow solids contact type clarifiers
  • Three 9 MGD variable speed high service pumps
  • Three 9 MGD variable speed raw water pumps
  • Two 80 foot diameter finished water clearwells
  • Two rapid mix basins
  • Two sludge/backwash settling lagoons